Tag Archives: art

Children in Lochaber will gain an opportunity to learn about the environment around them in new and interesting ways, with this new project led by artist Ali Berardelli for Room 13.

The project will engage art and ecology to explore two forest environments; Outlandia; the treehouse studio and artist-led space high in the hill top forest of Glen Nevis, and at the Forest School at Arkaig Community Forest.

Participants from schools and community groups will visit these locations and create their own ariel imagery through drawing and sound based explorations of the environment.

A team of supporting artists will work alongside the lead artist on this project including a photographer and drone pilot, musician and music therapist and visual artist.

Drawing in The Air gets underway on Sunday 11th June with a family event hosted by Clunes Forest School and a display of ariel photography from around the two locations.

This project is made possible with funding by The People’s Postcode Lottery and Arkaig Community Forest. Activities and historical and ecological discussion will be provided by local artists, Forestry Commission Scotland Ranger and the John Muir Trust Manager.

In August 2016 Resipole Studios & Fine Art Gallery is hosting a collection of multi-media artworks by the late, abstract expressionist, Jon Schueler (1916-1992). Sea to Sky is one of a group of exhibitions, both in the US and in the UK to mark the centennial of Jon Schueler’s birth. Sea to Sky presents a collection of 38 works that are central to his time spent on the West Coast of Scotland, where he frequented throughout his career.

This award winning arts venue provides the perfect backdrop to Schueler’s works of art, which is enveloped by the very landscape that inspired the American artist.

We are thrilled to share news that a portion of the proceeds from the sale of works at this exhibition are to be donated to Room 13 International, making this a perfect opportunity to invest in an internationally significant piece of artwork while also supporting a charity, home grown in the West Highlands, that supports artistic development, creativity and enterprise among young people in Lochaber, Scotland and overseas.

The exhibition will run for six weeks (6 August – 18 September 2016) and will feature a number of events celebrating Jon Schueler’s centennial.

Participants in the recent Young Artists’ Retreat, visited Resipole Studios & Fine Art Gallery. They enjoyed a talk and a tour by gallery owner Andrew Sinclair, and all voted this one of highlights of their experience. The Artists’ Retreat, aimed at young artists aged 14-17, was run by Room 13 International with support from Highland Youth Arts Hub.

To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the first ever dada event, Room 13 invited members of the public to stretch their imaginations in a dada and surrealist manner at a recent event in the new Room 13 Community Studio at Caol.

Marking 100 years since the first ever dada event, on June 23rd 1916, Room 13’s dada day event was a playful introduction to Dada or Dadaism, an artistic movement that spread across Europe during and after the First World War (1914 – 1918). Short lived but prolific, the movement was a response to war and to what the artists saw as unprecedented horror and human folly. The works they produced were an active engagement of politics and culture.

This event was the inspiration of Audrey O’ Brien, and marked the end of her time as a visiting Artist in Residence at Lochaber High School. Audrey has been in post since October 2015, working with pupils and staff to develop and deliver a series of cross curricular projects and creative engagements.

Audrey likened her experience of Room 13 to this movement and wanted to host a celebration of its 100th anniversary because:

“Dada art derided the idea that the artist was deserving of special status. The artist was a fallible mortal like everybody else, conversely, everyone else was capable of the same creative freedom as the artist.”

Dada & Surrealism, Robert Short

Room 13’s Dada Day was attended by Art, Music and History classes from Lochaber High School, and curious members of the public.

The event featured film screenings, sound installations, and visual displays representing the spirit and history of dadaism. Participants were encouraged to try out a variety of art techniques popular with the dada artists: Poem recipes, photomontage, experimental film-making and not forgetting to pay a visit to the Toilet Gallery!

Audrey followed up with a final visit to Lochaber High School on Wednesday 29th June to pose questions to pupils and reflect on their experience of Dada Day. She found that the teenagers have a lot to say in relation to recent events and political upheaval. Audrey explains:

“I am interested in the artistic movement Dada or Dadaism to provoke young people to think about the ideas behind this movement and provoke conversations on what current issues are important to them. It happened that my visit fell in the wake of the referendum. In their responses to questions such as ‘What issues are important to you and why?’ the pupils showed an acute awareness of recent events and concerns for their future.”

Audrey’s role, and the many projects she has effected during her time with Room 13, was made possible through project funding made available to Room 13 a partner in Highland Youth Arts Hub and supported by Creative Scotland’s Time to Shine initiative.

As well as supporting an artist to work with Lochaber High School and Room 13 Community Studio, this 2 year project has enabled Room 13 to deliver a range of different activities across Lochaber, involving over 300 young people aged 5-25. Room 13’s programme for Highland Youth Arts Hub has included workshops for Very Young Artists, mentoring and development of a youth volunteer group at Room 13 Community Studio and a series of workshops aimed at helping schools and remote communities to Grow Your Own Room 13.

Dada or Dadaism was an artistic movement – short lived but prolific, it spread across Europe during and after the First World War (1914 – 1918).

The principles of Dadaism centred on deliberate irrationality, anarchy and cynicism, and the rejection of the laws of beauty and social organisation.

Artists, musicians, writers and intellectuals discussed their love of the irrational and the nonsensical in terms of a rejection of the political and cultural values which they argued had created the war in the first place. The movement was based on the principles of deliberate nonsense and ‘childish’ responses; th

Room 13 International was thrilled to be represented at this event organised by Freelands Foundation and hosted by Tate Modern on Saturday 9th April 2016. Bringing together an eclectic mix of artists, teachers, curators, writers and organisations, the day provided an opportunity to foster unexpected connections and explore ideas about art, education, play and society. Featuring films, talks and a marketplace bursting with ideas and inspiration from a host of organisations who advocate, create and facilitate arts activity and development across the UK.

The 2004 documentary film about Room 13, ‘What Age Can You Start Being an Artist?’ was screened, and found itself in great company, as part of a programme of screenings throughout the day which included ‘Fully Awake’ a documentary about Black Mountain College* and ‘DADA’, Greta Deses’s unique 1969 film about the history and significance of Dadaism.

Mike Fairclough, Head Teacher of West Rise Junior School, took the stage in the main auditorium. His school is not only home to Room 13 West Rise but also a protected marshland complete with bronze age settlement and a herd of water buffalo. For the children at West Rise Junior School, everyday activities include forest school, bronze smelting, caring for the buffalo, sheep and a million bees, construction and maintenance of their very own roundhouse, archery and firearms training. Mike gave an inspirational presentation, explaining how his approach, which involves taking advantage of every possible opportunity to create the most interesting and exciting learning environment in and around his school, has lead to endorsement from OFSTED, Times Educational Supplement and the Health and Safety inspectorate.

The day concluded in conversation with Michael Craig Martin and Mark Wallinger, two speakers with years of experience as artists and educators. They talked of their experiences as professor and student during what could be considered a golden age of art college education. Their discussion included the observation that the most important difference in the study of art is its difference. There is no subject to be studied as such. There is no such thing as a general work of art. It requires an individual to jump in at the deep end on the first day, and grapple with the substance of their ideas and expression on the same terms as their professor, resulting in a specific, very substantial education. So the answer to the question ‘What age can you start being an artist?’ might be – whatever age you take that leap.

* Hidden in the mountains of Western North Carolina, Black Mountain College (1933 – 1957) was an influential experiment in education that inspired and shaped twentieth century American art. Fully Awake: Black Mountain College is a documentary film that explores the college’s progressive pedagogy and radical approach to arts education.

** As Bosnia descended into the depths of war, a group of artists and curators formed Ars Aevi Project as an expression of collective international will. Resisting the destruction of life and culture the group staged a series of contemporary art installations across Europe that focused on bringing the artists together to create and cultivate the heritage of the present day. This resulted in an extensive new collection of contemporary artworks being created and donated by the artists involved. Ars Aevi Project is now engaged in building a new Museum of Contemporary Art in Sarajevo, which will host the collection.

We are pleased to announce the launch of the Rotary Club of Lochaber’s Young Artist of the Year Award 2016.

The aim of this award is to encourage and reward the wealth of visual arts talent present among young people in Lochaber.

The award is open to young artists aged 7 – 17. There are no separate age categories. The Young Artist of the Year will be selected by a panel of judges viewing a small portfolio of work from each entrant. One overall winner will be named Young Artist of the Year,plus 2 runners-up and up to 4 Highly-Commended entrants.

The selection panel will be looking for evidence of a commitment to making artwork and evidence of the young artist’s originality, development and enthusiasm as an artist, regardless of their age or level of skill.

Awards will be made on the basis of overall achievement. Portfolios can contain visual work in any media, and may include photographs, films, sketchbooks and sculpture in addition to drawings, prints and paintings in traditional 2D medium.

The result – a visual mass of ideas, transforming and diverging to form new lines of thought – will be displayed at the launch of Ideas Week 2015 in the Ben Nevis Distillery, Fort William and then throughout Ideas Week 16 – 21 November 2015.

Room 13 Aragon have just completed a commission by their school to design, create and install a large mosaic in honour of Maddie Thompson, much loved and missed pupil of the school and Managing Director of Room 13, who died, last October aged just 10.

The whole school community got involved in the creation of the mosaic and the process is recorded in this short film, which like the mosaic itself is full of joy in celebration of the life of a young girl.

More about Maddie Thompson, and the legacy of her life and death in the community of Aragon Primary School in this piece written by Artist in Residence Louise Frewin in Room 13 studio network blog:

Room13 is delighted to be taking part in the delivery of an exciting new Youth Arts Hub for the Highlands. The Highland Youth Arts Hub is one of nine hubs being set up across the country as part of the National Youth Arts Strategy, Time to Shine.

The Highland Youth Arts Hub is working to the ambitious National Youth Arts Strategy which centres around three key themes:

creating and sustaining engagement

nurturing potential and talent

developing infrastructure and support

In the Highlands, 12 youth and arts organisations are working in partnership to develop this exciting new initiative. The partners are:

As the Hub develops, we look forward to engaging many more partners throughout the Highlands.

The Highland Youth Arts Hub aims to increase access to youth arts activities across the region and across a range of art forms including dance, digital art, drama, film, literature, music and visual art. We will be working together to offer more cross art form activities and to address issues like accessibility and participation.

The Hub will nurture and celebrate ambition, enthusiasm and talent in young people by improving the regional infrastructure and developing a new youth arts strategy for the area called Highland’s Time to Shine. Young people will be central to the development of the Hub. They will steer the direction of the work and make key decisions as the project will be led by a new Highland Youth Arts Forum.

The Hub is currently planning creative projects that will kick off in January 2015 whilst a new Creative Careers weekend and Annual Youth Arts Festival are in the pipeline for later next year – stay tuned and keep an ear out for what’s going on in your area!

If you would like more information on the Hub please contact Lara Van de Peer on larabryce1@aol.com, the Highland Youth Arts Hub CoOrdinator for Room13.

If you are interested in becoming involved with the Hub or any of its projects, or would simply like to express a want and/or need for creative provision in your area, again, please contact Lara on the e-mail above. If, however, you’d feel more comfortable speaking with one of the Youth Arts Forum representatives please ask for contact details.

A collection of artwork and images from the Room 13 archive are on show at the Counihan Gallery In Brunswick, Melbourne Australia.

Curated by Kym Maxwell, UNEDUCATED presents artworks and projects that explore ideas of society, knowledge and institutional learning that both provoke consideration of our role as spectators and reflect on the debate of the ‘educational turn’ in contemporary art discourse.

Room 13 Summer Programme will take place throughout July at Room 13 Community Studio in Caol Youth Centre.

Our workshops have been designed to keep you busy all summer – from hour long sessions for new Primary Ones to a week of Portfolio-Building, a 2-day Printmaking Workshop plus our Open Studio sessions on Wednesdays, all based at Room 13 Community Studio in Caol Youth Centre.

We encourage people of all ages and abilities to come along and experience the studio environment, learn new skills, and just have a good time making things – come and learn new creative techniques, try out different printmaking processes, put on a play in a day making everything as you go, take a wander to look for materials and make something from what you see and find: